What Brand Is Behind Cracker Barrel's Rocking Chairs And If They're Worth Buying

Cracker Barrel isn't like any other restaurant out there: It offers a warm and inviting interior, with a gift shop that's always stocked with seasonal home decor and rows of candy sticks. Adding to the charm are the classic rocking chairs lined up along the front windows that you can buy in-store or on Cracker Barrel's website. The brand behind them is POLYWOOD, a furniture company that also owns Trex Outdoor Furniture. POLYWOOD makes the All-Weather Heritage Rocker exclusively for Cracker Barrel, so you won't find it anywhere else.

What makes these chairs unique is the proprietary lumber used to build them. POLYWOOD crafts its pieces from infinitely recyclable high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and manufactures them in the U.S. The eco-friendly company has an on-site recycling program and will even recycle your Cracker Barrel rocker when you're done with it.

Fade- and stain-resistant, these rockers won't corrode or rot. In fact, they're built to resist cracks, chips, splinters, and peeling, and they don't require painting or restaining like traditional wood furniture. But are Cracker Barrel's POLYWOOD rocking chairs worth the hefty price tag? It depends. After all, a single chair costs $290, a set of two runs $580, and the three-piece set (two chairs and a small side table) goes for $650. Here's how they stack up against similar products.

From a financial standpoint, Cracker Barrel's rocking chairs aren't the most budget-friendly option. You're looking at over $500 for two, and more than $600 for the matching side table. That's a lot considering you can get a set of two similar rockers made from HDPE from Wayfair for around $240, and they're often advertised for even less, sometimes as low as $200 for the pair.

They not only compare in color (both are teak) and material (HDPE), but they're also pretty similar in size. For instance, Cracker Barrel's rockers measure 45 inches in height, 27 inches in width (which gives you more arm-to-arm space), and 34 inches in depth, giving you plenty of front-to-back seat space. The similar Wayfair all-weather chairs measure 45 inches high, with a 20-inch seat width and a 21-inch depth. While Cracker Barrel's chairs are more spacious, Wayfair's can hold up to 380 pounds.

Looking at it from a product standpoint, you technically can't buy the exact Cracker Barrel rockers anywhere else. It's like trying to buy an off-brand insulated cup and expecting it to be the same level of quality as a Stanley cup. POLYWOOD's HDPE blend is proprietary, meaning no other company can replicate it exactly. On top of that, Cracker Barrel's chairs come with a 20-year limited residential warranty, which gives them an extra edge. That said, both options are made from sturdy materials, offer UV protection, and are easy to clean. So it really comes down to whether you want to buy on-brand or off-brand.